Finally Learned to Forward Loop...

[justingordon]

To inspire others to make the leap, I’m documenting my experience learning the dreaded “forward loop” (aka holy grail of windsurfing).

I’ve wanted to do this move since 1995 when, during my first trip to Maui, I tried unsuccessfully and put my face through my sail, giving me a bloody nose and lip. Quite a bit shaken up and with some damage to the gear, I did think I would ever try again.

I had thought about this move many times, imagining the feeling as I sail along, jumping over the waves. But this move seemed elusive. I just could not find it in me to fully go for it. Earlier this year, with a severely herniated L5-S1 disk and unable to even walk, I figured that doing something like a forward loop would forever be impossible for this 41 year old body. Well, the stars must have aligned so that I would be destined to go for it. I’ve been fortunate to be spending time with Matt Pritchard, Graham Ezzy, Aurelien Nicoul, and Nadia Pfister. It actually took the lovely female surfer Nadia to say, let’s go out there and I’ll teach you. If you’ve ever seen Nadia, you would know that I just could not turn down this offer!

Nadia got me to do the jump around the board exercise. Basically sheet in and pretend you’re looping by jumping off of the board. That seemed a bit helpful. Nadia had me jumping and looking back, which was moderately helpful. My main problem was that I was so used to jumping in my harness lines, leaning back, and letting go with my front hand, then landing tail first. Thus, I was not very good at jumping out of the harness and landing downwind. I tried one loop attempt with Nadia that first day. I launched up, said I’m going to loop, and rather than doing the rotation, I just pulled with both hands (I think, but who knows) and both my sail and board got ripped away from me in mid air. Good thing I was not hooked into my harness!

After that fiasco, back to the drawing board! I then did LOTS of jumps off of the wind, out of the harness, with the back hand back a few inches, learning how to land nose first, which really requires sheeting in on the back hand when jumping, as the tail of the board naturally sinks. That technique helps tremendously with learning to loop.

I then did a number of boom simulations with Graham and Matt, to make sure that I’m not only sheeting in the back hand, but extending the front hand. It’s a little like jibing when you’re super powered up, in that you have to not only sheet in the back hand, but you MUST get that front arm pushing away and toward the downwind direction. Graham also told me to extend out and UP with the front hand, and that keeps you away from going over the handlebars!

On this past Tuesday, I got to sail with Graham Ezzy. My first attempts all resulted in my feet flying out of the foot straps. However, at least when I attempted to loop, I rotated, rather than face planting! Graham helped me by loosening up my straps to just the right amount. After that, I got 3 nice ones in a row! It’s absolutely key to have your straps loose enough that you can wedge your feet deep into the straps.

One thing I felt learning to loop was that I was being too picky about the jump to take. There’s lots of jumps on the reef in Sprecks, even on the smallest wave day. However, there were only periodic real wind waves breaking that allowed one to pick just the right spot on the wave for a fast bearing off jump. This was really frustrating, as I want to be like Graham and be able to loop at will. However, it seems better to be patient until I get enough rotations under my belt.

It also might be much easier to learn to loop in a place like Maui with a consistent breaking sideshore wave rather than trying to learn in onshore wind chop, like where I came from in San Francisco. Nevertheless, I think one can learn any place there is chop to jump by learning how to jump and bear off the wind hard. Jump and land nose-first deep off the wind!

Just before sailing with Graham and going for my loops, we watched this video together, which I found absolutely hilarious. It documents one old guy’s determination to get forward loops. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuWcwaZvuTU

Today, I on my second day doing loops, I did my first every one that I ever sailed away from (not even water starting). Amazingly, my girlfriend was videoing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq2S09xSE9M

Now that I’ve done it, I’m another one of those sailors that say that it’s not so very difficult...So give it a try if you can, and maybe come to Maui where the conditions are very conducive to learning to loop.

If I can do it for the first time at 41...

Aloha,

Justin

[rexi]

Thanks for your story, great inspiration!
-forecast looks promising for next weekend and i´m going on a roadtrip with some friends. I´ve been thinking about going for a loop all this season, who knows maybe next weekend will be my starting point

[justingordon]

[rexi]

Thanks for the advice. I´m afraid there are not very many loopers close by that i can get some advice from and i mostly sail alone so i will probably have to use advice on the web such as yours. And that´s why its great to read your story!

I´ve been doing the jumping with the sail part and that´s starting to feel more natural so this weekend i´m planing on doing some nose landings and then go for one. Hopefully without it being a total disaster

[chophop]

Wow in April you had a 9mm herniated disc.
In early september you accomplished your first forward loop a week later you are going after back loops.
Aren't you afraid of fucking your back?

[Wind-NC.com]

Way to go, Justin! Now that you're over the hurdle, you can attest to just how easy loops actually are. With proper technique, loops aren't violent- they're just Plain Old Fun!

[christopher_cf]

I landed my first forward loop this summer at Sherman Island after working on it for 2 years in less-than-ideal conditions, so I just want to add this:

Hesitation hurts; the more you commit, the softer the landing.

Cheers
Christopher